Cutting Sod for a Construction of a Warehouse in Ejura by the President is Needless, Misplaced Priority, Duplication of Resources and Waste of Taxpayers Money – NDC-Ejura-Sekyedumase

CUTTING SOD FOR A CONSTRUCTION OF A WAREHOUSE IN EJURA BY THE PRESIDENT IS NEEDLESS, MISPLACED PRIORITY, DUPLICATION OF RESOURCES AND WASTE OF TAXPAYERS MONEY -NDC-EJURA-SEKYEDUMASE

Ladies and gentlemen of the media fraternity and general public, we are extremely delighted to come to your door steps ,within the past 24hrs.
You All recalled that on the 18th of October, 2017 HE Nana Addo was in Ejura-Sekyedumase to cut sod for the construction of a 1000 metric tones of warehouse in the Municipality which coincided with the commemoration of World Food Day.

As we salute our gallant smallholder farmers in the Municipality who toils daily to put food on our dinning tables; Ejura-Sekyedumase NDC wish to state on an unequivocal terms that the sod cutting for the construction of WAREHOUSE by the President in Ejura is Needless, Misplaced Priority, Duplication of Resources and a Waste of taxpayers money.

Ladies and gentlemen, NDC Ejura-Sekyedumase are extremely shocked and taken aback that a President who claims to be competent and forthright will glorify the sod cutting for the construction of warehouse in NO LESS PLACE like Ejura-Sekyedumase which since independence have been NOTED for commercial farming with specialization in maize, cowpea, yam, cotton and rubber production on the DEFUNCT EJURA FARMS COMPANY which was collapsed by the HE John Agyakum Kuffour NPP regime.

Ejura -Sekyedumase has moved beyond construction of warehouse, nor do not acknowledge the construction of warehouses. The taught of the President to construct a warehouse is pitiful.

As natives and ordinary residents of the Ejura-sekyedumase, we say without missing words that the President’s visit is a waste of the public purse and a duplication of resources based on the under listed reasons :—

(1) The defunct “EJURA FARMS” which was collapsed under the HE J. A. Kufour NPP1 regime have about five(5) functional warehouses with varying storage capacity five hundred and forty (550) metrics tonnes which could have been used for the intended purposes. All what the President needed was reviving the Ejura farms by putting in place functional managerial team put together .If the President and his government care to note,most residents in the Municipality yearn for the revival of the DEFUNT Ejura farms to create employment for the teeming youths. This step, the HE John Dramani Mahama through the Municipal Chief Executive Officer -Alhaji Muhammad Bawa Briamah in collaboration with the traditional council begun a process to revive the Ejura farms until, the change of government. Friends in the media, all what the government needed was to make use of the existing farm warehouses and storage systems ,as well as making use of the available lands.

Ladies and gentlemen aside, these functional warehouse at the defunct Ejura farms,over last eight(8) years and beyond,and even dating back to the Dr Nkrumah regime several warehouses with varied storage capacities and multipurpose treatment plants and dryers been constructed or ongoing across the length and breath of the Municipality. Mentioned could be made of the following :-

(1).The ongoing construction of WFP-P4P warehouse at the Ejura Municipal Market, close to the charcoal lane. In November 2016, the former MCE and now the Member of Parliament for the Ejura-Sekyedumase constituency, Hon Alhaji Muhammad Bawa Braimah in the company of WFP-P4P country Director and officials, the Assembly Staff and the traditional council cut sod for the construction of a warehouse. During the sod cutting of this International project meant for the sixteen (16) Farmer Based Organizations under the WFP-P4P Project, it was anticipated that this Project when commissioned with a storage capacity of 450 metric tonnes of farm produce will be of great benefit to the WFP-P4P beneficiaries. The sod cutting was done solely by the then MCE ,the WFP-P4P country Director, and the Traditional Council so as NOT to waste Public purse as Nana Addo just did in Ejura.

(2).The municipality could also boat two(2) multipurpose warehouses/storage facilities ,at Dromankoma/Boyon and Aframso/Domeh counstructed by USAID Millennium Challenge Programme with separate storage capacities of three hundred and fifty (350) each

(3).There exist another functional multipurpose warehouse/silos constructed by Dr Kwame Nkrumah at Sekyedumase for the Sekyedumase zonal enclave/ area/Zone with a storage capacity of four hundred (400) metric tones .

(4 ).Through the Assembly’s good ratings in DDF, lockable stores at the Ejura Market were constructed by the then MCE, now MP Alhaji Bawa, for farmers to get places of storing their farm products.

(5) Aside, these warehouse/storage facilities in the Municipality, there exist two other multipurpose warehouses both in Babaso and PENS-FOOD Ejura(Private) to equally meet the needs of farmers in these respective communities and locations.

(6) HE ,John Mahama through the former Municipal Chief Executive Officer, Ejura-Sekyedukase Municipality -Alhaji Bawa and other sister Districts and Municipalities such as Attebubu-Amantin and Techiman introduced size four (4 ) fertilizer bags/or cocoa sucks as a standard measurement for All cereals that was bought and sold within these three areas to replaced the size 5 Markola bags which impoverished the small holder farmers for ages.

Unfortunately,since the assumption of office of HE Nana Addo and His MCEs assumed office your MCEs the NPP government have refused to respect the resolution on fertilizer size five. Nana Addo’s government abandoned this resolution and reverse it’s implementation to the Markola size five(5). This resolution in the Various Assemblies which sought to make the Smallholder farmers better off have been thrown to the dogs such because of the selfish interest of the NPP youth, who are into this business..

Ladies and gentlemen, it will interest you to know that notwithstanding the existence of these numerous multipurpose warehouses/storage facilities, these warehouses are extremely under utilised by the farmers in the Municipality. This is virtually making the development projects highly under utilised.
As citizens, we would have been happy ,if the President and his team would have solved the problem of under utilization of these warehouses instead of cutting a sod to start a fresh.

For the President to visit us, so as to cut a sod for the construction of warehouse will therefore serve as, duplication of state resources, without little or no returns to the state.

From, the aforementioned, Clearly, one would conclude that, in accordance with the existing facts that warehouses isn’t the need of some of the smallholder farmers in the Municipality.

Any additional warehouse(s) in EJURA MUNICIPALITY is needless and total waste of state money.

Instead,the President must channel these resources in more crucial areas in the economy instead of dissipating the state resources on unrealistic and nonprofitable warehouses.

Farmers in the Municipality do not need warehouses but rather a sustainable support in getting farm inputs on time and also at a very lower prices as well as standardised measurements and pricing of their farm products.

Again, Ejura-Sekyedumase is blessed with a agriculture training college which offers only certificate course, it wouldn’t be out of place if this training Institute is converted into a diploma awarding institution. This will make agriculture more attractive.

As a citizens ,Ejura-Sekyedumase NDC demand answers to the following nagging questions from the President

1.Which research findings or study support the duplication of the warehouse in Ejura-Sekyedukase? And of what need or gap is this warehouse/storage facility to be constructed by the President going to solve??

2 .Does the President have research data/findings on the extent of patronage of the existing warehouses in the Municipality by the smallholder farmers ?

3.If NPP one district one factory policy is reality what is preventing the President from reviving EJURA FARMS FACTORY which was providing direct and indirect jobs for the people of EJURA and its environs??

4.Why must the President cut sod for construction of a warehouse when farmers can’t pay for labourers and tractors charges in their farms due to astronomical increments in fuel prices???

5.Why must the president cut sod for construction of a warehouse in the municipality when farmers can’t buy fertilizers,seedlings,liquid spray,etc etc.???

6.What would be the use of warehouse when prices of farm products are not standardised and are always falling or reducing making the poor farmers to always run at lost due to bad economic policies??

EJURA-SEKYEDUMASE NDC would therefore like to call on the President to make. use of the taxpayers money judiciously instead of the sod cutting for the construction WAREHOUSE in Districts and communities which do not need it, making it ,a waste of public purse, misplaced priority and duplication of resources. What farmers who fell for the lofty promises of HE Nana Addo during the 2016 campaigns are waiting for are the One District, one factory Not warehouses.
Thank you
Long live EJURAMAN
Long live NDC

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